Henry Curtis Kelly

1930 - 2019

Henry Curtis Kelly FORT WORTH--Henry Curtis "Jim" Kelly, Ph.D, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, at the age of 88. MEMORIAL SERVICE: 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at First Congregational Church, UCC, 4201 Trail Lake Drive, Fort Worth, 76109. MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mary Couts Burnett Library at TCU, either online at makeagift.tcu.edu or mailed to TCU, Box 297440, Fort Worth, TX 76129. Jim Kelly was born in Providence, R.I., to Henry Clinton Kelly and Leone Curtis Kelly. He grew up in Cumberland, R.I. In 1951, Jim graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where he earned a BS in Chemistry. He met his future wife, Lucille Mainland, at Bates, and they married in 1956. After working for several years in the chemical industry at Metal Hydrides, Inc., in Beverly, Mass., Jim returned to education, earning a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Brown University in 1962. In 1964, Jim and his family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he joined the faculty of the Chemistry department at TCU. He remained at TCU until his retirement in 1998. Jim's career at TCU included teaching freshman chemistry and advanced levels of inorganic chemistry, research in chemical reaction kinetics, and studying the mechanisms of reactions. He also directed research and served as a mentor for both graduate and undergraduate students. Among his most enjoyable experiences as a faculty member was seeing the success that his students went on to achieve. Jim also collaborated extensively with colleagues in England and Canada while on sabbatical leaves and spent two summers lecturing in chemistry at the Universidad de los Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Jim co-authored numerous papers with his students and with faculty colleagues. At TCU, he served as director of the Honors Program for seven years and chaired the TCU Department of Chemistry for six years. The greatest part of his life was his family. After retirement, Jim and wife, Lu, enjoyed extensive travel. He also served on the board of Stage West Theatre. Jim was preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife of 62 years, Lu. SURVIVORS: He is survived by children, Luanne (Charles) Cullen, Nancy Kelly (Kenneth Forster), and Curtis (Diane) Kelly; and by grandchildren, Lindsay Kelly, Ross Kelly, and Rachel Forster.